Abstract

Due to the high capacity of solar thermal power plants (50 MWel and more) and large required investment, concentrating solar power (CSP) projects are subject to an extensive project development process. Predicting the energy yield of a CSP plant is a crucial task in this process. Mathematical models predicting the system’s energy yield are required to assess single CSP projects (e.g. feasibility or due diligence studies), compare different plant options (e.g. technology, site), optimise technology configuration (e.g. solar field size, storage capacity), investigate the influence of component characteristics (e.g. receiver characteristics), and to assess system performance during commissioning, among other things.
The models used for these tasks differ in complexity and required accuracy, e.g. a model used for project assessment during commissioning has to be more rigorous than a model used for a pre-feasibility study. At the moment, numerous modelling approaches exist, and project developers use their own internal system models and assessment methodology. These models often lack validation, and no standard or benchmark for comparison yet exists for electricity yield analysis of CSP plants. In addition, most current models of CSP system performance do not treat uncertainties inherent in parameters and processes of the complex system. These conditions fail to alleviate concerns about technology risk and hinders the acceptance of CSP technology by potential investors.
To solve this problem, an international working group is being initiated within SolarPACES Task I to define guidelines for electricity yield analysis of CSP plants.